Reddit mentions of Conceptual Blockbusting: A Guide to Better Ideas

Berkeley graduate here.

There's a lot more than just learning how to study. There's also problem solving / pattern recognition skills for succeeding.

While this book is not particularly useful outside of math/engineering, "How To Solve It" by George Polya is a good example of meta strategies used for problem solving. It's a commonly cited gateway book to learning more applicable techniques and allowing you to find your own problem solving strategies.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_to_Solve_It

Here's a more useful discussion about why we fail to solve problems (e.g making incorrect assumptions, etc.):

https://www.amazon.com/Conceptual-Blockbusting-Guide-Better-Ideas/dp/0738205370?ie=UTF8&*Version*=1&*entries*=0

Also, I'm really tired of these sensational statements like:
> If you have the grades and the connections, you are basically unstoppable.

I realize you're trying to be motivational and all... but can we have some realism?

The Innovator's DNA: Mastering the Five Skills of Disruptive Innovators https://www.amazon.com/dp/1422134814/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_2kWKzbZH8JEGA

The Ten Faces of Innovation: IDEO's Strategies for Beating the Devil's Advocate and Driving Creativity Throughout Your Organization https://www.amazon.com/dp/0385512074/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_imWKzb0R9Z6GV

Conceptual Blockbusting: A Guide to Better Ideas https://www.amazon.com/dp/0738205370/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_MjWKzbS473XHB

These are three of my favorites that aren't focused on advertising. Each one has incredible insights. If possible, I would start with Blockbusting, then the 10 faces of innovation and I would finish by reading the innovators DNA alongside the power of habit. The power of habit is not a book on creativity but it will help you see how you can create habits that will drastically improve your creative outputs. The innovators DNA has a lot of cool exercises and specific habits that all creative leaders have and the power of habit will give you the know how to integrate those habits into your daily life.

The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business https://www.amazon.com/dp/081298160X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_XsWKzbZXS0TP6

> "why am I doing this" only makes sense in relation to intermediate goals

If you think like that you aren't very good at solving problems.

This little book mentions an interesting problem they had at NASA during the Mariner 4 program in the 1960s. They were trying to develop a damper to retard the opening of the solar panels in space. Every solution they tried had some problem.

In the end, they found the perfect solution that worked flawlessly. Don't do it. The solar panels didn't need any dampening, they could open as fast as they could.

This perfect solution was found only because they applied the "why am I doing this" question to the ultimate goal, which was to develop a damper for solar panel opening.

Maybe, in the case of the paperclip making machine, the perfect solution could be print everything on a single page. Or scan the documents and work with digital copies. A good AI should be prepared to find this kind of solution.